The world wide web (WWW) comprises a multitude of computer servers, respective databases which are managed by servers and contain documents formatted as web pages, and a network by which clients can communicate with the servers and thereby request and load web pages of interest. Clients and servers utilize the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http), a known application protocol to communicate and provide access to information by using a standard page description language known as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). The information can comprise text, graphics, applets, images, sound, animated video etc. Each of the clients includes a "web browser" which is an interface to the user and the WWW. One common web browser is the Netscape Navigator (TM) web browser licensed by Netscape Communications Corporation of Mountain View, Calif. The Netscape Navigator web browser is further described in "Hands on Netscape" David Sacks, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J., 1996 ISBN013240284X.
Each web page is specified by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address which comprises an access method/protocol designation such as http as a prefix, a server name, and the requested document as a suffix. The server name typically includes a "domain name" which may be the name of a company, educational institution, government body, or other organization that maintains the server. The request indicates a web page associated with the server. There are different ways that a client can obtain a web page. If the client knows the URL, the client can directly request the web page from the server. However, if the client only knows the server name, the client can address the server name and in response, the server will present the "home page" for the server. The home page (and other web pages) typically includes tags or "hot links" which reference other associated web pages. When the user selects a hot link, the web browser requests the respective web page from the corresponding server.
There has been explosive growth in the network of computers known as the WWW. This expansion, while advantageous for information exchange, has led to problems of congestion, slowing or even preventing traffic. Furthermore, developments in browser technology have led to more useful but more complex download formats including interactive and dynamic presentations which typically require more time to be received and to be processed by a browser. Consequently a user typically first sees a fragment, typically text, of the web page on the display screen. Other elements of the page such as video, applets etc. are received, processed, and gradually filled in as they are fetched. Meanwhile, the web page is unusable and confusing. This waiting wastes the user's time and causes dissatisfaction with the WWW.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,643 fills in the waiting time by displaying different types of informational messages, for example, advertisements, notices, messages, copyright information, and the like. Such diversionary activity is resented by many users and does not address the problem described above.
Some browsers such as Netscape Navigator browser with its Autoload Images option provide an option to turn off graphics. While this feature may offer some performance improvement when loading web pages with extensive graphics content, it provides no help to the user who does not want or need video, sound, or JAVA applets. Other users may want graphics only and, having read the text during a previous view of the page, have no need or desire for text. The ability to turn off graphics provides no help to such users.